BillNye

Thanks for the tips. Johnson's pond is very heavily fished but the state record bass was caught there on a black jitterbug at night. I've never been night fishing I might need to try it out. I usually use a spinner bait, slipshot with a fluke or a senko worm. My biggest fish last year was before the spawn on a senko. Gonna try to get a z man chatter bait and a ned rig this year I think.

Are you guys using fish finders or topo maps for depth? Most of the ponds in this area have terrible bathymetry data.

I am from Rhode island and do all my fishing from a kayak or canoe. I live in the western part of the state And most of spots I fish are small kettle ponds that are ~10 feet in depth at the deepest point. Most of the stuff you read about is in larger lakes that doesn't translate to these types of areas because there really isn't much depth stratification. I was wondering what strategies and baits you are using in areas like this. As you can imagine once early summer rolls around the ponds are very weedy and you will often be pulling some crud off your spinner bait every cast. These ponds are also fairly heavily fished especially a place like Johnson pond so getting a decent bite is tricky. Any advice would be welcomed.

I was looking at the tatula ct but the revo stx normally retails for 160 so I'm hoping it will have a pretty good braking system and will be easy to learn on. The reviews I found were pretty good.

Thanks for the tip. I just emailed them about the situation and they quickly responded. The customer service at American Legacy Fishing has been very good I would definitely purchase there again.

Ok so heres what I did: Inferno 7'0 MH/XF casting rod Diesel 7'0 ML/XF spinning rod (American Legacy Fishing still hasnt called me...) Pflueger President 30 Spinning reel Abu Garcia Revo STX Casting reel I just picked up a revo stx since it was so cheap on sale. Got it for 80 dollars.

Ok so some thoughts... I have been reading about learning to use a baitcaster and people are saying after 2 years of fishing they still get birdsnests constantly. This has pushed me away from getting a baitcaster as my main rod. I was thinking of 2 different options: -6'10" Medium / extra fast Inferno Spinning rod 6104 CB GLASS - Medium/mod fast casting rod for traps and squarebill cranks -7'0 medium/fast St Croix Mojo spinning rod. I checked one out today at Dicks and it was pretty awesome. The main lures I use are spinner baits 1/2 or smaller, 5' senkos, swim jigs under 3/8 and a 1/2 ounce carolina rig. I think the M/F could handle those lures fine.

Ok so I poked around and found the 3 diesel rods you can pick from: 6104 CB GLASS - Medium/mod fast casting rod 702 MLEF - Medium light/extra fast spinning rod 755 CB GLASS = medium heavy/Mod. Fast casting I was kind of thinking of buying inferno medium heavy casting rod and putting a black max on it to learn and then getting a diesel spinning rod free but Medium light seems too niche.

Thanks for the info. It looks like the spinning rod is medium light/extra fast. The other two rods are fiberglass. Not sure it's the deal for me.

Is this deal still running? I didn't see an end date and there is no info on the actual website. What is the power/action diesel rods are they offering or can you pick?

Ok not to revive a long dead post but I've made one decision! I decided since my old spinning gear was so crappy I'm going to upgrade that first before getting into the world of baitcasters. The 2 piece rod I typically use is slightly cracked on the female portion and its letting the top half spin due to poor fit. I ended up getting a President 6730 reel and now I'm looking for a M/F rod to pair with it. These are the ones I'm interested in: Powell Diesel Powell Inferno Fenwick HMG St. Croix Mojo Bass Lews TP1 speed stick Any suggestions on a rod would be greatly appreciated!

I am looking for a one person canoe or kayak but its hard narrowing down a decent one on a budget. I already have a saranac 146 that I use all the time but I haven't been able to load it on top of my SUV by myself. Summer is coming and I have some time off of work so I'd like to go fishing quite often but I need something I can load on top of my SUV solo. I am not looking for anything fancy just something to get me on the small ponds near me (~50 acres). Here are some things I'm looking for: Room for a tackle box behind seat Do not get wet Rod Holders Light Cheap I am looking to spend less than 500. My current thought is a vibe skip jack 90 or an old town vapor 10.

Ok so I had some time to go out on my lunch break and check out some stuff at dicks. I really like the feel of the left hand retrieve lews Mach 1 combo they had there. I think I'm going to end up buying either the lews mach 1 or Mach 2 left handed bait caster rod combos and maybe also buying a pflueger president spinning reel to put on one of my older rods. The only caveat is my wife finding out! I am very open to suggestions on a bait casting set up but it seems like the lews combos have very good reviews and are a decent price. edit found the the lews blue carbon speed stick on sale. Does this compare to the Mach series?

Thanks for the advice everyone but now I'm more confused that I was when I started! For reference I fish in smaller ponds in Rhode Island (~50 acres) where the depth to bottom is usually less than 10 feet. I would say most of my fishing is done in water less than 5 feet in depth. The water is usually a light brown color with decent visibility, I can always see the bottom unless I end up in the deepest part of the pond. My current set up are two cheapo 7' MH/M action shakespeare rod combos from the mid 90s that I had from when I was a kid. I fish mono on one and braid on the other. I really would like an all around rod but the more I look into rods and reels the more confusing the options are. Since I've bought a canoe this year as opposed to shore fishing like I have over the last couple years and have already gone a bunch this season I'm looking for something that will last and I will be happy with for a while. There is nothing worse than spending 150 and the immediately wishing you would have spent a little extra.

I just checked out the Lews Mach II combo and it seems pretty nice. The color is a little much though! I am kind of leaning towards a baitcasting rod but I'm a little nervous to plop down the money one one without every trying it.

What would be the advantage of a baitcasting set up? From what I've read its mostly preference.

I need some advice on a decent budget set up. I fish from a canoe and usually use a spinnerbait, a t-rigged 5" senko worm or lipless crankbait. I fish spinner baits more than any other bait. I've always fished a spinning set up so I was thinking of a Pflueger president 25 series with a mh/f 7 ft abu garicia veritas rod. I'm interested in a baitcasting set up but I don't really know much about them. Looking to spend around 150.